The importance of TEAM work! The Team behind the TEAM!

No the real team I mean!

THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAM!

(And the importance of emotional connection!)

I’m the luckiest man working in professional football. My colleagues are the kindest, driven and most loyal people I’ve ever worked with. I feel enthused to support my collegaues daily to make sure our club is the most aspirational and supportive place on earth for our players but actually most importantly staff. So we can help them achieve! If staff are not happy any business or team is destined for failure over the long term. But what makes happy staff? Pay packet or self worth? Without doubt the latter!

Often football and sport fanatics have their favourite players. For whatever reason whether it is a goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or attacker the fan will see a trait in the particular player that they love about them.  Most kids love the flair players right? Messi, Ronaldo and Bale to name three.

But what about all the other low key players around these three superstars mentioned above that help them and hopefully the team achieve greater glory? And ever thought about all the other STAFF members that metaphorically stand behind the first team manager… and help that manager lead and inspire the so-called lesser (but to the trained eye; key players) players to excel in performance daily…… and in-turn to play selflessly every game in order for the so-called “star players” to express themselves and win games for the greater good of the TEAM.

Elite and highly functioning institutions don’t become elite by fluke! Football clubs are no different. The average football fan pays their hard earned money to see their team go out and perform on a Saturday. As far as most of these fans are aware the manager simply picks the team and tells them to win. And via the variables of skill, organisation, physicality, player mentality and group cohesion and maybe a little luck, a result at the end of the game is a definite. Win, lose or draw!

In years past, often highlighted was the poor off the field relationship between Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham, and how they managed to put this aside on a match day! I applaud these two as this is an extremely rare situation which ended in a positive outcome and says much about them both professionally and emotionally and quantifies really what the meaning of professional really means! Well done fellas.

Often we talk about the meaning of professional but mainly about the players that are out on the pitch performing right? But what about the professionalism and cohesion of the:

“Team behind the Team”

And it’s supposed importance? Ever thought about its importance?

Recently I “lost it” with a player. I rarely lose it. Back in my early teaching days (in inner London Secondary’s)  I lost it regularly. But with age, experience, expertise and self-growth I have evolved into a calmer more holistic version and voice of reason. The player in question basically didn’t conform to what I felt was the blueprint of our exceptional academy culture and vision. He was simply asked to get a team mates house keys and walk 3 floors of a building and give them to him as a favour. The player in question refused and said “why should I, I can’t be arsed”.

This above scenario may seem nothing to you reading this and may think it has no correlation to on pitch performances. And if so that’s fine. Your opinion, your experiences are your own and it’s your choice to feel that way. You may understand the behaviour of the player who couldn’t be bothered to help a team mate with an off the field issue. Evidently, I don’t agree with this player’s behaviour and never will, hence him getting told of my huge disappointment and relevant emotional response to his lazy actions. May I also add that this behaviour for this player is a one off and normally he is low maintenance.

My point is, we talk about many things at work but “selflessness” as a HUGE part of our culture.

It’s an easy word to say right? and in my opinion not so easy to always do. Think of others before yourself etc.

But on the flip side if you had 11 starting players in football who were ALL selfish people/players what is the likelihood of success? In my opinion you may fluke a win or two short-term but over a season or career; as a coach or team you are very unlikely to gain long term success. However please feel free to disagree. I welcome that.  So anyway.. Why am I telling you about this story of selfishness of one of my players and what is its relevance to the team behind the team?

You’ve heard about terms like “marginal gains” in business and performance I’m sure. Also the 1% gains and their importance and as Mark Warburton the Rangers manager says regularly in TV interviews “adding value”. As mentioned earlier, I know some so-called professionals wouldn’t even care about the player not being bothered about helping out his team mate regarding this simple key issue. After all this a nothing issue right? I mean..to some leaders this issue isn't about passing, shooting and performing poorly so it doesn't matter and has nothing to do with results. WRONG!

For me! THIS IS MASSIVE! This is as big as anything I deal with in my working week! It has to be! Yes I’m mad but I don’t care nor regret it. This is a 10% issue as far as I am concerned hence my passion for this. Let me explain why. How dare we as coaches, teachers and educators discuss daily about the importance of key words such as kindness, empathy, selflessness, resilience, GRIT, the 1%ers and emotional control in relation to group cohesion and performance on a match day! If we don’t

1. Do it and show it consistently ourselves
2. Think this process is simply confined to the “pitch part” of performance, and
3. Think about the long term effects of one small moment and its potential damaging outcomes for our culture and success outcomes on the pitch.

Players are asked to run for each other on the pitch. Run that extra ten yards for eachother etc. Yesterday I visibly saw a player on the wrong end of this altercation and get angry, upset and annoyed by his lazy team mate. Almost betrayed by the player…. that ironically that gives him a lift every day! Yes you heard it!  Simply this type of selfish behaviour isn’t on…. if any club or sporting team wants success.

Let’s forget football here! Human to human, man to man…. one elite youth player has basically stuck 2 fingers to TEAM mate and said albeit passively

“I DON’T respect you pal”..

Now what could or would happen if I left it and ignored this issue as a leader?

Two players that grow further apart emotionally?

Two players that dislike each other more?

Two players that are supposed to perform in a team and gain success?  and give everything for their club and the paying fans…..

Never going to happen right? All over a set of keys!  I mean they are only keys right?

In summary,

Do you work harder for teammates and colleagues that you like and care about? Has productivity improved because of these closer relationships? Will a team perform better if the team behind the team work together with kindness, selflessness, passion, cohesion? And finally will the team perform better with greater detail if “marginal gains” are addressed when they arise and ALL people in the building understand their importance….

IGNORE THEM AT YOUR PERIL

As the ex-Spanish manager Vicente del Bosque once said:

“Each coach has his own personality. My leadership is based on human values, on sharing and on being friendly. If you only know about football you are lost”

PEACE x